Life After
by kingforaday
Summary: One shot. SasuNaru. Implied NaruTemari. PG-13 for some language and a small between the two. Naruto gets a visit from an old friend after years of seperation. Bad choices and changes linger in both of their lives.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters, obviously. If I did, I'm telling you now, they would be a lot different. (And Sakura would have died by now.) ß Disregard that last comment, I mean no offence. I just personally…don't like her.

This was written out of pure boredom. I hope it makes sense. It's just a fluffy-ish little one shot, obviously SasuNaru. Read and review, please, telling me what you thought. Hope you enjoy it.

Life After

The young man walked up the walkway to his friends house slowly. His hands were shoved comfortably in his pockets, his long bangs covering his dark eyes. It wasn't the prettiest of days, in fact, the raven haired boy was soaked to the bone, and if he was one to admit defeat, he would be shivering. He stepped up onto the first of four porch steps, hesitating a moment. In the end, he pushed himself further until he was standing on the last step, ready to cross onto seemingly unfamiliar territory.

"Sasuke..." The voice was soft, quiet. Not how he last remembered it. Yet that wasn't the strange part. It unnerved Sasuke that there was no surprise evident in the other man's voice. "You're soaked. That can't be good for your health."

"Hn.." The older boy finally took that last step onto the porch, pushing his hair away from his eyes in the process. He looked up at the large, wooden door. Now painted red. When did that happen?

"Two years ago. My wife felt that the navy was too dark." The blonde smiled, watching the dark-haired man before him.

"Wife?" Sasuke turned around, meeting the other man's eyes for the first time. There was a mature look to him now. His eyes were soft and gentle, crystal blue in color. His face was thinner now, longer. The messy golden blonde locks seemed to have thinned out some, parting and falling to fit the contours of the man's face. Of course, there was one thing that hadn't changed. Three whisker-like scars still graced each side of the man's scarlet-tinted cheeks. "Jesus, has it really been that long?"

The blonde nodded slowly, eyes moving from the man in front of him to the wooden porch floors. "Yes, Sasuke. It's been about 5 years, I'd say. Plenty has happened, and too much hasn't happened yet." Sasuke frowned, gaze traveling to the floor also. He took a few small steps towards the white porch swing the other was perched upon.

"Naruto…you know I'm really sorry." Sasuke spoke lightly. His dark eyes darted around his surroundings a moment before, reluctantly, landing on the blonde. Seeing as he had Sasuke's attention, Naruto gave him a small, almost sorrowful smile.

"You don't have to say it. You wouldn't be here if you weren't." Naruto watched Sasuke a moment, their eyes locked. They stayed like this for, well, neither of them knew how long, but a large flash and a loud boom seemed to bring them back. Naruto moved over, clearing another place on the swing. "Come and sit down. There is much to catch up on."

Sasuke slowly moved to the spot, sitting down next to the blonde. His hair was dripping, and he didn't particularly want to get Naruto wet as well. He pushed his hair from his face and moved back a bit so he could look at the man beside him. "You spoke of a wife. Is she…inside?"

Naruto shook his head, looking past Sasuke at the downpour happening all around them. "Oh no, she left." His eyes went to Sasuke's momentarily, stopping him before he could apologize, or give his regrets. "It was a mutual thing. Marriage was something that neither of us really should have gone for, but we did anyway. Good thing, I guess, there were no kids." Sasuke could pick up on and identify the slight regret in the man's voice. For the wife or the idea of family, which one he did not know.

"Well that is something you wouldn't have known until you tried. Yet…sometimes, it's not the best thing to just try it on and see how it fits." Naruto had to laugh at this. It wasn't anything loud or obnoxious, like Sasuke remembered it, but more of a light-hearted soft laugh. Nothing accusing.

"Know from experience, nee, Sasuke-kun?" The raven haired boy gave Naruto a small smile. He reached forward and lightly shoved the blonde's shoulder in a playful gesture.

"Yeah, yeah. That's not funny. I really missed you, ya know?" At hearing this, Naruto completely dropped the playful act and gave Sasuke an honest grin. He looked down at his lap, grin still etched onto his features. Looking back up at the man beside him, Naruto was about to say something when he took in the sight of Sasuke. His skin was still ghostly pale, eyes still dark, but he was soaked. Drenched from head to toe. Frowning, Naruto took the blanket, which had been wrapped around his waist, and stood up. He stood in front of Sasuke and draped the blanket around him, pulling it tight.

"You know I missed you, too, right?" Naruto offered in a soft voice, pushing Sasuke's hair from his eyes. He smiled, looking down at his old friend. He really had missed him while he had been away. Those had been some lonely years. Sure, he had Temari, but, as horrible as it sounds, she was more like a distraction.

Sasuke reached forward and gently took Naruto's hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. "I kind of hoped you had." He gently pulled Naruto back down onto the bench, this time closer to him. The blonde, looking up at Sasuke, slowly laced his fingers with the other man's. The older boy pulled Naruto and his hand's to his chest, leaning forward just a bit. Naruto leaned forward just a bit also, sunshine blonde hair moving in front of his eyes. The two stopped when their faces were just inches apart. Naruto's head was tilted, just slightly, to the side. Sasuke reached up with his free hand, moving the blonde hair from Naruto's eyes, only to find them closed. The raven haired boy couldn't help but smiled. He leaned forward and gently caught Naruto's lips.

The kiss was short, no doubt, but to both of the men, it was perfect. It had been years since the two of them had shared a kiss like that, and it was something they both missed. Naruto's eyes were still closed when he leaned in once more, capturing Sasuke's lips again. This time, the kiss held more emotion, feeling. Just like old times, Naruto followed Sasuke's lead. The blonde's lips moved when Sasuke's did, deepening the kiss when Sasuke instructed. Naruto parted his lips slightly, allowing Sasuke's tongue to slip into his mouth. Their lips moved perfectly together, tongues brushing over each other smoothly. There was no hurry to this kiss; just catching up. It lasted another minute or so before they broke apart. This time they stayed close, but not touching, eyes still closed. Both of them were breathing heavier than they were earlier, hearts racing and pounding in their chests.

"So…does this mean another separation? Another few years of disappearance?" Naruto asked softly, almost afraid.

"I was hoping this meant…I could take advantage of the extra space you have in your house now. Since, you know, you said years ago that there was always a place for me." The blonde smiled and opened his eyes, gazing at the one in front of him. He had finally gotten his lover back. Sasuke opened his eyes, meeting those of the blonde.

"I think that sounds like a good idea to me." 


End file.
